Coffee House

The so-called ‘special relationship’ between Britain and the United States seems to have reached a historically unspecial nadir, in large part because of the tensions between Donald Trump and Sir Keir Starmer over Iran. Amidst this, there remains one particular source of debate: whether King Charles’s state visit to America, scheduled for next month, should still go ahead. ✍️ Alexander Larman Article | spectator.com/article/theres…

Donald Trump thought it would be a cakewalk. Determined to oust his adversary almost overnight, the US President quickly discovered that he’s far more wily and tenacious than he had assumed. Far from capitulating, his nemesis seems to be on the comeback trail. Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell thus announced yesterday that unless a successor is confirmed by the Senate, he has ‘no intention of leaving’. ✍️ Jacob Heilbrunn Article | spectator.com/article/the-ba…

My new book exposes the vainglorious Duke and Duchess’s downwards spiral over the past five years towards an inglorious endgame. Dwindling fame and fortune is forcing them to revalidate their royal status. If they were able to return to Britain to stand in public alongside King Charles, that would be their ideal photo opportunity. ✍️ Tom Bower Article | spectator.com/article/is-my-…

The Tories launched their local election campaign this morning, with a beaming Kemi Badenoch surrounded by rows of flag-waving party members. The polls remain stubbornly low for the party, but the Conservative leader gave little sign of that getting to her. ✍️ James Heale Article | spectator.com/article/badeno…

In a surprise to no one, the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) has voted nine-zero to hold interest rates at 3.75 per cent. The unanimous decision is the first time the MPC have been in complete agreement since September 2021. ✍️ Michael Simmons Article | spectator.com/article/brace-…

When a fully greased Sir Keir Starmer is finally bundled, squealing, out of Downing Street, one wonders what he might turn his hand to by way of work to keep a roof over his head? I suspect his time as a lawyer doesn’t bear repetition and he’s hardly going to be asked to do after-dinner speaking. Perhaps he could mimic other PMs and turn to writing. I suspect, though, it will need to be children’s books that help him pay the bills. ✍️ Madeline Grant Article | spectator.com/article/pmqs-w…

Finally, some good economic news: Britain may have turned a corner on jobs. Figures just released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show the unemployment rate remained flat at 5.2 per cent in January. ✍️ Michael Simmons Article | spectator.com/article/britai…

Israel widened its campaign inside Iran. Late last night, the Israeli military said it had struck targets in northern Iran for the first time in the current operation, after attacking more than 200 targets in western and central Iran over the previous 24 hours, including ballistic missile storage sites, launch systems, air defences and weapons production facilities. ✍️ Jonathan Sacerdoti Article | spectator.com/article/the-ir…

Something has shifted on the Israeli side. Some analysts have suggested in recent weeks that the Jewish state following 7 October has adopted a new strategy in which, rather than containing or deterring enemies, it now seeks to conclusively defeat them. ✍️ Jonathan Spyer Article | spectator.com/article/why-is…

So far, Polanski has risen to prominence on vibes, and an amiable personality, without troubling himself with much in the way of policy. As he attempts to turn his party into a real force – and persuade sceptical voters – he is finally fleshing out what he would actually like to do if he gets the keys to No. 10. ✍️ Matthew Lynn Article | spectator.com/article/the-gr…

When Nick Timothy posted a critical comment on X about the recent public Muslim prayer in Trafalgar Square, which included the participation of London’s mayor Sadiq Khan, opinion split quickly. Many thanked him for articulating what they felt others were unwilling to say, while others responded with sharp criticism. In Britain, we fiercely protect freedom of religion, and any criticism of someone else’s faith can easily be smeared as discrimination or inequality. It’s not in our nature to do so. But Nick Timothy did not do that. He represented a widely held concern that many ordinary citizens have, and went some was to explaining why they have it. ✍️ Jonathan Sacerdoti Article | spectator.com/article/feelin…

The premature death of two young people from meningitis after an outbreak of the disease in Kent is a tragedy. Susan Hopkins, the CEO of the UK Health Service Agency has called the speed at which this particular infection is spreading ‘unprecedented’. But thanks to the concerted efforts of successive British governments, tragedies related to this disease are becoming rarer and rarer. Since 1998, the number of deaths in England caused by invasive meningococcal disease in the UK has fallen by around 86 per cent. ✍️ John Power Article | spectator.com/article/mening…

Keir Starmer had an appalling performance at Prime Minister’s Questions today. It was summarised very well later in the session by Conservative MP Andrew Snowden. Starmer had indeed spent his exchanges with Kemi Badenoch largely lashing out at the Tory leader rather than answering her repeated questions about Mandelson. She had rightly decided to just keep pushing with the same question until the Prime Minister’s answers became increasingly ludicrous and irrelevant. ✍️ Isabel Hardman Article | spectator.com/article/starme…

With European energy markets and European economies already struggling with the loss of Russian oil and gas, the additional Iranian-driven market constriction is a new crisis that they can ill afford. ✍️ Joshua Treviño Article | spectator.com/article/iran-a…

This is the way that Brexit ends: not with a bang but with a whimpering submission to EU standards on everything, billions in contributions to the EU purse – but with the pretence that we are not really rejoining the single market or customs union, honest. ✍️ Ross Clark Article | spectator.com/article/this-i…

The latest to sound the alarm is Angela Rayner, the Labour queen over the water. In a speech last night to the Mainstream group, she declared that it would be ‘un-British’ to change the rules for migrants already in the UK. The ex Deputy-PM is not acting in a vacuum here: more than 100 MPs have already signed a letter, organised by Tony Vaughan, the MP for Folkestone and Hythe, claiming Mahmood’s plans undermined a commitment to integration and social cohesion. ✍️ James Heale Article | spectator.com/article/angela…

Missiles were launched from Iran toward Israel overnight, targeting its central and southern regions and triggering nationwide alerts that sent civilians into protected spaces. Israeli air defence systems intercepted multiple incoming threats, though several impacts were recorded across central Israel. ✍️ Jonathan Sacerdoti Article | spectator.com/article/iran-h…

Two people have died of meningitis in Kent: an eighteen year old year 13 student named as Juliette, and an unnamed 21-year-old. The outbreak has centred on a nightclub, Club Chemistry, and on a private party. Since news of the outbreak broke, the newspapers and television have been full of images of students queuing patiently for prophylactic antibiotics. ✍️ Druin Burch Article | spectator.com/article/should…

From the modern metropolises of Moscow and St Petersburg to Arkhangelsk on the permafrosted northern coast and Khabarovsk on the Chinese border, for over a week now, Russian cities have been experiencing unprecedented interruptions to mobile internet coverage. Ostensibly for security reasons, the rumour mill has inevitably cranked out all kinds of alternative explanations, from fear of a coup to preparations for a comprehensive imposition of state control on the ‘runet’, Russia’s online world. ✍️ Mark Galeotti Article | spectator.com/article/the-ch…

Would you inject yourself with an unapproved drug you could only buy off a sketchy website? Most people instinctively would say no. Yet, throw in a debilitating chronic condition or a crippling insecurity, and the promise of miraculous effects, and the question becomes a lot harder. ✍️ Ivo Delingpole Article | spectator.com/article/are-pe…